Has This Been the Best Primary Season Ever?
…do? Strategize intensely, adapt to a slew of different circumstances and formats, and, most of all, figure out how best to allocate precious resources — money and time chief among…
How can you strive for excellence without overworking yourself? Why is perfectionism on the rise? And is Angela part of the problem?…
When we try to improve things, our first thought is often: What can we add to make this better? But Leidy, a professor of engineering, says we tend to overlook…
…do? Strategize intensely, adapt to a slew of different circumstances and formats, and, most of all, figure out how best to allocate precious resources — money and time chief among…
We just got word that the new paperback edition of SuperFreakonomics will land on the 6/12 New York Times best-seller list. Freakonomics is still on the list too (88 weeks…
…third try be the charm? Andrew talks with Steve about what it’s like to lose an election and why a third political party might be the best chance for avoiding…
In hospitals, a softer pillow or a nicer room might be more than just amenities — they could improve outcomes for patients.
Steve usually asks his guests for advice, whether they’re magicians or Nobel laureates. After nearly 60 episodes, is any of it worth following — or should we just ask listeners…
What happens when tens of millions of fantasy-sports players are suddenly able to bet real money on real games? We’re about to find out. A recent Supreme Court decision has…
Great athletes aren’t just great at the physical stuff. They’ve also learned how to handle pressure, overcome fear and stay focused. Here’s the good news: You don’t have to be…
She’s best known for playing neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory, but the award-winning actress has a rich life outside of her acting career, as a teacher,…
What if the thing we call “talent” is grotesquely overrated? And what if deliberate practice is the secret to excellence? Those are the claims of the research psychologist Anders Ericsson,…
…to make doctors do what you want, instead of what they think is best for you, I’m all for it. –Ann H. A. You knew your medical mind, but perhaps…
Humans have a built-in “negativity bias,” which means we give bad news much more power than good. Would the Covid-19 crisis be an opportune time to reverse this tendency?
You wouldn’t think you could win a Nobel Prize for showing that humans tend to make irrational decisions. But that’s what Richard Thaler has done. The founder of behavioral economics…
It was supposed to boost prosperity and democracy at the same time. What really happened? According to the legal scholar Anthea Roberts, it depends which story you believe….
Claudia Goldin is the newest winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics. We spoke with her in 2016 about why women earn so much less than men — and how…
Ken Ono is a math prodigy whose skills have helped produce a Hollywood movie and made Olympic swimmers faster. The number theorist tells Steve why he sees mathematics as art…
Also: is it better to send a congratulatory note to someone who deserves it or a condolence note to someone who needs it?
…with mental illnesses, and that the majority of researchers and practitioners are doing their best for the good of humanity. There are serious risks inherent in the search for knowledge…
…did call to mind the common exercise of predicting coin flips. Levitt wrote about this topic a while ago: if you ask most people to predict how a sequence of…
…The Yale study, which no doubt was undertaken with considerable care, nevertheless threatens to distract us from the more amorphous causes of obesity, causes that are only peripherally (at best)…
…victims these options and, if such an option were given to me, I hope in cool reflection that I would not exercise it. This deranged inspiration falls into the category…
Could a lack of sleep help explain why some people get much sicker than others?
…the same name. Here is Patrick’s response: This conversation, while provocative and a good exercise for the imagination, is for all intents and purposes ridiculous. There are not going to…
We often look to other countries for smart policies on education, healthcare, infrastructure, etc. But can a smart policy be simply transplanted into a country as culturally unusual (and as…
…Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. The armed nations of the world don’t respond well to unilateral acts of war. Q. It all sounds great as a theoretical exercise, but honestly, don’t…
…can become a penny waiting for change. Thus Dean misread the Iowa landscape. While voters were focusing in on one overwhelming question — which candidate had the best chance to…
…tallies the astrological sign of members of the U.S. House of Representatives. This exercise is inspired by the work of Anders Ericsson and others; they find that month of birth…
…to Guild members, shows that under current royalty configurations, the real losers aren’t the publishers; it’s the authors. This is plainly an opportunity for literary agents to exercise whatever muscle…
…lights, and many times the situation resolves itself. When lights are out, motorists should know to exercise caution and treat them as if they are stop signs. However, to this…
